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Friday, April 27, 2012

Science: why I do it AND write it

From Blog Penn Live:

Science: why I do it AND write it




A random sample of Americans was polled a few years ago. The purpose of this poll was to gauge our population's knowledge and beliefs on human life and evolution. Religious beliefs aside, this statement particularly stood out to me:

There's no such thing as a genetic defect. All genetic changes result from the decisions of a God or Intelligent Force.

A quarter of Americans believed that this is true. This absolutely floors me.

But it also has me wondering: do people understand what, exactly, a genetic defect is? Do they understand what DNA is beyond, say, mentionings in the O.J. Simpson case or paternity tests on Maury?

Another poll states that 80% of Americans believe the U.S. should create a "DNA bank" of its citizens. What exactly are they believing in, then?

There is a great divide between the scientific community and the average non-scientific layperson. And just before I enrolled in my Ph.D. program to begin my scientific career, it became clear to me how I'd like to use my knowledge: to educate others, in their terms, about what's going on in their bodies.

***

There are two truths about which I have been certain for most of my life: I love to write and create, and science is endlessly fascinating.

Back home, a large box is filled to the brim with papers I'd taped together to create books—stories I'd share via illustration before I could write words. As my language skills developed, so did my stories, as seen in the work of art below:

"He wonderd he saw Christol did." I think it's supposed to say something about a girl named "Crystal" dying. I was about 4 years old here...
I grasped reading and writing early on in school. I was often the "designated reader." As we transitioned into peer review-type exercises in elementary school, I would literally have a line forming at my desk for people to have me edit their essays. The teachers found it amusing. (I never minded, but wished they'd step in and regulate the system a bit!)

I also loved my science classes and appreciated the creativity allowed in science fairs and experimental design. I recently uncovered a school assignment from 4th grade in which I had vowed that at age 25, "I will be a successful scientist," and included an illustration of myself in glasses and a lab coat. Clenched in my fist was a bubbling green test tube exclaiming, "I have discovered a substance!"

***

I entered college in 2007. The end of my first-semester biology lab had me doing exactly what I wanted to do: I worked in a group to design an experiment, write up a lab report, and present the findings to the class. The experiment itself was boring—to hone our protein assay skills, we ground up apple slices and measured their browning rate by quantifying the amount of the particular enzyme that causes browning.

To spice it up a bit, I suggested to my group that we give our experiment a backstory: the county fair is approaching, and we want to make the 1st place winning apple pie. To do this, however, we must identify which apple has the slowest browning rate to keep the pie fresh and tasty.

Our presentation earned us an "A." In a side note, however, the professor wrote, "Too gimmicky."

In my junior year of college, a semester-long class assignment had us critically review a popular press article about a recent pharmaceutical breakthrough. The article contained so many errors that even my modest knowledge of pharmacy could register them. And among all of the popular press articles I could find for this particular study, the scientists themselves—those who had developed the treatment—authored none of them.

I didn't understand why the researchers weren't translating their own work for lay audiences. I didn't understand why I couldn't write about apple pies in my presentation. As a result, my 50-page undergraduate senior thesis in biology is some of the dullest, most confusing writing I've ever produced. And can you blame me?—it's not hard to be beaten down when reading hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers and their mind-numbing jargon. I'm proud of all the work I put into the project, but, in retrospect, rather embarassed by the final product.

***

Admittance to my neuroscience Ph.D. program was simultaneously one of the most exciting yet scariest moments of my life. I'm going to be Dr. Gaines! But...oh, crap, I have to be a poor, seemingly perpetual student during the most vibrant years of my young adult life, toiling away in a laboratory to compose a long, exhaustingly dull thesis about the 20% of my experiments that don't fail.

Naturally, as any paranoid soul of the 21st century is wont to do, I performed a Google search and found that scientific writing is...well, it's an actual thing—as in the same people writing about scientific breakthroughs aren't necessarily the same people reporting the scores of the weekend's Phillies/Braves game. And better yet, in many cases, it's advantageous to have a degree in the sciences.

Me at age 9, around the time I knew I wanted to "discover a substance."
I felt the same as I did when I was 9 years old and read A Wrinkle in Time. I found an intersection between science and words. I could teach people science, like the teaching assistant positions I so enjoyed, but better—for I could reach not just undergrads who voluntarily signed up for a science course, but the Average Joe picking up a magazine or opening their Internet browser to see the latest headlines on Alzheimer's research or advancements in neuroimaging. And I could make them understand it.

And that's the goal of this blog and my research as a young scientist: to make sure people understand what's going on, between the antagonists and deoxyribonucleic acids and medulla oblongatas and other scary words that are actually quite simple to understand.

At the young age of 22 (23 tomorrow!), I like to think I've already found my calling. And if I had to tell the little 4-year old illustrating decapitated girls what she'd have to do to get to this spot, I wouldn't tell her to change a thing.

Transcript of Michelle Obama's remarks at Girls Inc. luncheon

Transcript of Michelle Obama's remarks at Girls Inc. luncheon
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release April 24, 2012
REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY
AT GIRLS INC. OF OMAHA EVENT
Century Link Center
Omaha, Nebraska
 
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, wow. Thank you all so much. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much. Rest yourselves. Oh, I am so thrilled to be here with all of you today. You cannot imagine. And look at this room. You all are amazing. I want to start by thanking Chanecia for that very sweet introduction. And first of all, you are absolutely right -- I have to meet Malia and Sasha's boyfriends -- (laughter) -- before there's any of that happening. And there's a lot of discipline going on in our house as well. But let's give Chanecia a round of applause. She was just amazing. (Applause.)

I also want to recognize a few people. I know that Mayor Suttle is here, and I wanted to say hello from afar; as well as Warren Buffett and his wife Astrid; and your wonderful executive director here at Girls Inc., Roberta Wilhelm. Absolutely. Yay! (Applause.)

And, of course, I have to give a huge thank you to Susie Buffett. (Applause.) Yes. Susie, your leadership here at Girls Inc., as well as your outstanding work to support our public schools, to invest in early childhood education, and to address issues like poverty and global women's health, that has inspired us all. And we are so incredibly grateful for everything that you do for Girls Inc., for the Omaha community, and for our country. Yes, indeed. (Applause.)

And I also want to give a special shout-out to all of the young ladies that are joining us here at this luncheon -- because I want them to know that they are the reason that we're here today. I am -- absolutely. (Applause.) I want you all to know that I am so proud of the work that you're doing, working to get active and to eat healthy -- and from the looks of the video that you showed, it seems like you all are having a little fun while doing it, too.

And finally, I want to thank all of the rest of you here today -- all of the supporters, the volunteers and the staff of Girls Inc. Every day, because of all of you, girls all across this city are imagining new possibilities for themselves. You all are providing a safe environment for them to dance and to play, to read and to think, and just have fun and be themselves. You're helping them build the relationships they'll need to thrive -- connections with peers who understand, with adults who listen and offer encouragement, with role models who provide a real-life example of what is possible.

You're showing these girls that being smart, strong, and bold isn't just about getting good grades or staying out of trouble. It also means being a good friend, a good sister or daughter, a good citizen. It means taking care of your body by getting active and eating the right foods. It means giving back to your community and getting engaged with people all around you.

And every day, all of you are opening up new worlds to these girls. Because of you, they are doing things they probably never would have been able to do. They're exploring museums, going to the theater. They're traveling all over the country. They're learning to read. They're learning to balance a checkbook, to change the oil in their car. They're even designing robots.

So with all of your activities and programs, more importantly, with all of the love and support that you pour into these girls, you're not simply giving them something to do -- you're giving them something to be. Maybe it's a scientist, or a teacher. Yes, we got a few scientists in the room. Right on! (Laughter and applause.) Or a teacher, or a businesswoman. Maybe it's being a good student, or class president, or a great teammate. Whatever it is, you're showing them that they can be anything they dream of, as long as they stay true to who they are.

And we all know how important that is for young women.

We know how much pressure there is on our girls to fit in. And we know how many negative messages and images and stereotypes are out there about how they should look, how they should act.

But we also know what it takes for girls to rise above all that. It is possible. It takes supportive communities. It takes caring mentors, and safe places where they can learn and grow, and just be themselves for a while.
I mean, I've seen this in my own life. Growing up, my family didn't have a lot of money. My parents never had the chance to go to college themselves. But they were determined to see me and my brother get a good education. So they did what so many parents are doing out there: They worked, they saved, and they sacrificed everything. They pushed me to get my homework done, and they encouraged me to pursue the things that I loved. And no matter what was going on in our lives, it was always, always clear to me that my parents truly believed in me, and they believed in who I could become. It was always clear to me that my mom and dad were always in my corner. My mom still is. Who else would move to the White House? (Laughter.) Now, that's love.

And because they told me that I was just as smart and as capable as anybody else, I started to believe it. Right? I started to believe it. It became a part of who I was.

And that's exactly what you're doing here at Girls Inc. Every single day, you're giving girls the confidence they need to believe in themselves. They're young girls like Fatuma, from right here in Omaha, who I just met. She was just seven years old, I understand, when she started coming to Girls Inc. almost three years ago. And I understand she didn't speak a word of English. But through the Girls Inc. literacy program, she learned to read and speak so well that when she started school, the school's English as a Second Language program just a year later, they told her that she was too advanced. (Applause.) Absolutely.

Then there are young women like Denai, who started coming to Girls Inc. here in Omaha when she was five years old. She dreamed of being a pediatrician. And today, I understand, she's a freshman at UNL; she's studying biology and pre-med. I also understand that a couple weeks ago, she was one of just two students at the university who was guaranteed a spot in the medicine program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center when she graduates. (Applause.) Yes, indeed.

And stories like these are happening not just here in Omaha, but all across the country. I'm thinking of a young woman named Bianca who goes to school in Washington, D.C. Now, Bianca grew up in Dallas. She lost her mom when she was just two years old, and she often had to step up to help her dad raise her two siblings. And they sometimes struggled to pay the bills, and at one point, Bianca and her family lived in a homeless shelter. But Girls Inc. gave her a place to just be a girl and pursue her interest in math and science. She went on to Howard University to study chemical engineering. She has volunteered in Kenya and the Sudan. She's had internships with the Department of Defense and Carnegie Mellon University. And today, she is speaking on a panel at the White House to encourage other young women to pursue their passion for science and technology. (Applause.)

And here's what she says -- these are her words -- she says, "Without Girls Inc., I would never have had these opportunities. I wouldn't be ready to go on and change the world."

That's why all of us are here today. That's why I am so proud to be the Honorary Board Chair of Girls Inc. -- because I know that these girls will go on to change our world. They absolutely will. I know they will become the doctors and scientists who might one day cure cancer or find new ways to bring clean water to the developing world. They'll become the entrepreneurs who will lead the industries of tomorrow. And they will become the teachers and professors who will inspire the next generation of leaders.

It couldn't be more clear. The success of our economy and the success of our country is directly tied to the success of women. (Applause.) Today, women make up nearly 50 percent of our workforce. They own nearly 30 percent of our small businesses. They're the majority of students in our college and graduate schools. And a growing number of women are their family's breadwinners. So this isn't just about lifting up girls. This is about lifting up America.

Now, more than ever before, our families, businesses -- absolutely -- (applause.) Now more than ever. And our communities, they depend on smart, strong, and bold women to lead the way. So we simply cannot afford to miss out on even one young woman's potential -- can't afford it. If the talent of one girl goes unrecognized, if one girl's dreams go unrealized, if one girl is denied opportunities for reasons that have nothing to do with her talent or character or work ethic, then we all miss out. We are all diminished.

That's why it's up to every single one of us to life up these girls. We all have a role to play in helping them fulfill their potential and pursue their dreams. And that's something that you all have recognized here in Omaha for the past 37 years.

Back then, it was just six girls coming together in a church basement. Wow. Today, you have thousands of girls participating in all sorts of outreach activities. And with each one of those girls, you're living out the words of one of my predecessors, Lady Bird Johnson. And as she said, "Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them." Right?

So I want to thank you all for proving that truth every single day. Thank you for believing in these girls, girls like me. Thank you for helping them believe in themselves. And thank you for loving them and supporting them every step of the way.

And finally, I'd like to end with a special message to all of the girls here. Are you all listening? Girls, are you listening?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Now, I know that all of you have a lot going on in your lives. And I know how hard you all are working at school. It's hard work, right? I know how many responsibilities that you're taking on at home. And I know that it's not always easy. I also know that you might run into folks who doubt you, right? People who might dismiss you. Say you're not ready, you're not good enough, right? Or you might feel like doors are closed to you because of who you are or where you come from.

But I am here today, I came here specifically, to ask you to just keep on working. You guys hear me? I want you all to keep working. Keep on achieving. Just keep on using everything you've learned at Girls Inc. to pursue your dreams. Don't waste any of it.

Because what you need to understand is what you're getting at Girls Inc. -- the skills you're learning, the talents you're developing, the people you meet -- in the end, that is what matters. That's all that matters. And know that no one can ever take that away from you. You hear me? And while you're smart, strong and bold now -- you are, right? -- I know that you're going to keep getting even smarter and even stronger and even bolder every single day. You going to do that for me?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: So that is why I am proud of all of you. That's why I am so hopeful. (Applause.) And that is why I am hopeful about our country's future. Because when we think about the promise of America, I'm thinking about girls like all of you. So keep on working. Keep that passion and that spirit that makes you who you are. And keep on believing in yourselves because I certainly do. And everyone in this room believes in you. And we can't wait to see what you'll do with your lives in the years ahead.
Love you all. Thank you. God bless. (Applause.)

MS. CHOICE: And now, a few of the Girls Inc. members have a few questions for first lady Obama.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, scary. Oh, you're there.

Q: My name is Elijiana Parker (ph) and I'm 13 years old. What are some words of advice that you would have for a girl who wants to be in the position that you hold now? (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Good question. Well, some of it I said at the end of the speech. Some of it is, first of all, keep believing in yourself. And that seems simple, right? That seems like simple advice, but it can be hard at times. But one of the things that I tell my girls is that you have to practice who you want to be every single day. You have to practice that every single day. (Applause.) So you can't wake up in 20 years and expect to be a disciplined person, a good friend, someone who treats others with respect, someone who's reliable. You don't wake up and become that person. You practice it every single day with every interaction that you have. You apply everything you have to it, like you're fighting for every last bit of it, right?

So who you are today really does matter -- what kind of student you are. Are you putting your best efforts into your school work? Are you trying new things? Are you treating others with the kind of respect you want back? Are you informed and engaged in the world? Do you know how to have fun? Do you know how to laugh at yourself? Do you know how to take a punch and get up?

I mean, I tell my kids every day, it's easy to get the A. You don't have to react when you get the A -- that's easy. The question is, what happens when you get the D or the C? How do you respond? Do you shrivel up, or do you get back up and figure out how to improve? That's resilience. But you've got to practice that.
So who you all are today, what you're doing today, how you relate to people -- that matters. So think about that. And don't be afraid to dream big. You have to see yourself in a place. You have to be able to see yourself as that scientist, as the next President of the United States. You can be First Lady if you want to, but there's also the presidency. (Laughter and applause.)

Q: My name is Aviera Pittman, I am 12 years old. Do you believe you are strong, smart and bold, and why?

MRS. OBAMA: Oh. (Laughter.) Yes, absolutely, right? I'm strong, smart and bold. (Applause.) You know, I shared that story -- I think I believed in it because others believed in it. I had a mom and dad who had high expectations that were accompanied with a lot of unconditional love and support.

And when you've got people in your ear telling you that you're wonderful, you start believing it. And that's why what you have here at Girls Inc. is so important. Believe what people are saying about you. Believe that. Take in that good energy. Own it. Hug it. Accept it. All the good things you hear, the positive messages -- take those. Put the negative things aside, because that's always going to be there. There's always going to be -- what do we call it, girls? There's always going to be haters out there? (Laughter.) Don't focus on that.
Focus on the people in your life who give you positive reinforcement. And it doesn't have to be a parent. It can be anybody. I was lucky enough to have parents, but I also had some great teachers and mentors and people in my life that I would pull them in if I got some good energy, I'd just keep pulling on it. So gravitate to the positive. Stay away from the haters, okay? (Laughter and applause.)

Q: My name is Aria Renee Green (ph), I am nine years old. Why do you eat your meals from your very own garden?

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, it's a good question. Because they are so delicious. (Laughter.) No, seriously. Because one of the reasons we planted the garden was to begin a conversation about healthy eating and how to get kids to put more vegetables in their diets.

And one of the things that I learned with my kids was that when food was grown fresh, if you got it from your garden or from a farmer's market or from a fresh produce section, it tastes better. So it tastes pretty good.
And I wanted to pass on those messages to all kids in this country. I didn't just want my girls to grow up healthy. I want all of our girls to grow up healthy. So we have to have this conversation about good health. We want to make sure you understand what you're learning here at Girls Inc. -- that it's not just important what goes into your head, but you have to take care of your entire body and nourish it, and treat it as the temple that it is. You've got to put good stuff in there. And you've got to move it. You got to build up your muscles. (Applause.)

Thank you, sweetie.

All right, I think that's it. I'm going to come down and shake some hands, OK? You all right? Thank you all.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Book: African American Women Chemists - edited

African American Women Chemists, by Jeannette E. Brown. 2012, Oxford University Press.

Ranging from before the Civil War to the late 1960s, when the Civil Rights movement sparked greater scientific opportunities, this well-researched and fascinating book celebrates the lives and accomplishments of African American women chemists.

Written by Jeanette E. Brown, an African American chemist herself, the book examines the life and career of such groundbreaking women as Josephine Silone Yates - born on Long Island in 1852 - who was the first black woman head of a college science department in America; Alice Augusta Ball, a pharmaceitucal chemist who in 1915 developed an effective treatment for leprosy; Eslanda Goode Robeson, who earned a masters in Analytical Chemistry at Columbia and a PhD in Anthropology from Hartford Seminary (and was also the wife of the singer and actor Paul Robeson); Dr. Marie Maynard Daly, the first African American woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in the United States - in 1947, from Columbia University; Johnny Hines Watts Prothro, who was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, the first African American and the first woman so named; and the biological chemist Lynda Marie Jordan, who rose from poverty to become the first person in the history of Harvard University to simultaneously earn degrees from the Divinity School and the School of Public Health.

Brown examines each woman's motivation to pursue chemistry, and she describes their struggles to obtain an education and their efforts to succeed in a field in which there were few African-American men, much less African American women.

The book looks at chemists in academia, industry, and government, as well as chemical engineers, and it concludes with a chapter on the future of African American women chemists, which will be of interest to all women interested in a career in science.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
1. The reason for this book and why these women were chosen
2. Resources for historical background
3, Early pioneers
-Josephine Silone Yates
-Beebe Steven Lynk
-Alice Augusta Ball
-Eslanda Goode Robeson
-Angie Turner King
-Mary Elliott Hill

4. Marie Maynard Daly

5. Chemical educators
-Johnnie Hines Watts Prothro
-Rubye Prigmore Torrey
-Gladys W. Royal
-Cecile Hoover Edwards
-Allene Johnson
-Mary Antoinette Schiesler
-Gloria Long Anderson
-Linda C. Meade-Tollin
-Lynda Marie Jordan

6. Industry and Government Labs
-Esther A. H. Hopkins
-Betty Wright Harris
-Sinah Estelle Kelley
-Katheryn Emanual Lawson

7. From Academia to Board Room and Science Policy
-Reatha Clark King
-Margaret Ellen Mayo Tolbert
-Cheryl L. Shavers

8. Chemical Engineers
-Lilia Ann Abron
-Jennie Patrick

9. My story
-Jeanette Elizabeth Brown

10. Next steps

Notes
Publications
Historical time line
Bibliography
Index

Monday, April 23, 2012

Girl joins Mensa before she starts school

Dealing with super-intelligent kids is always a problem. Her peers will be jealous and tease her mercilessly, and the older kids will be more mature...hopefully all will be well.

From the Telegraph: Girl joins Mensa before she starts school
Heidi Hankins sat an IQ test after staff at her nursery said she was so intelligent they were struggling to find activities to challenge her.

The average score for an adult is 100 and a "gifted" individual 130 but the exceptional youngster impressed examiners with a staggering 159.

Heidi - who can already add, subtract, draw figures and write in sentences - was reading books for seven year olds when she was just two.

She beats numbers whizz Carol Vorderman (score 154) and is only slightly behind Big Bang scientist Stephen Hawking (160), who are both members of Mensa.

Heidi's dad, Matthew, from Winchester, Hants, hopes she can now skip a school year to ensure she is challenged.

The University of Southampton public health lecturer, 46, added: "We always thought Heidi was bright because she was reading early.

"I was curious about her IQ and the results were off the scale.

"I got her the complete set of the Oxford Reading Tree books when she was two and she read through the whole set of 30 in about an hour.

"It's what you would expect a seven-year-old to do.

"She was making noises and trying to talk literally since she was born and by age one her vocabulary was quite good.

"Now it is really good.

"The other day I gave her mash and fishfingers for dinner - something quite boring - and her response was 'That's impressive', so she has a sense of humour, too."

He added: "She is not precocious, she is just a little girl who likes her Barbies and Lego but then you will find her sitting down and reading a book.

"We are really proud of her."

John Stevenage, chief executive of British Mensa, said: "Heidi's parents correctly identified that she shows great potential.

"We wish them well and are pleased that they have chosen to join the Mensa network for support.

"We aim to provide a positive environment for younger members to develop."

Mr Hankins and his artist wife Sophy also have a nine-year-old son called Isaac who is a chorister at Winchester Cathedral.

Opinion: Let Kids and Parents, Not Change.org, Decide on LEGO Friends Dolls

From Fox News Opinion: Opinion: Let Kids and Parents, Not Change.org, Decide on LEGO Friends Dolls
With much anticipation from LEGO lovers, the Danish company launched their new "Friends" line last December targeted at young girls. Now, these five cute mini-dolls are at the center of the latest gender war controversy for being stereotypically girly: too pink and too curvy.

After starting a petition, two women (in their early 20s) from Change.org are meeting with Lego representatives today to discuss how they can “rethink their sexist marketing campaigns” and “stop perpetuate dangerous stereotypes about girls and boys.”

Seriously, how dangerous are these little dolls to our daughters’ self esteem and emotional development?

My 9-year-old daughter and I investigated these little female action figures and learned some fascinating facts. Like American Girl dolls, LEGO developed these figurines with different personalities, interests, likes and dislikes. They wanted to create a sense of community and friendship and a chance for girls to role-play and build.

For instance, Olivia the inventor wants to be a scientist or engineer when she grows up, although her favorite color is pink (clearly, that must be too girly). Mia is an environmentalist, vegan and animal lover, while Andrea is a singer and songwriter. Emma is a karate-kicking fashion designer, and Stephanie the soccer player wants to become a journalist or an editor.

In real life, these mini-dolls would make fine friends and are actually positive role models for young girls. The dolls may look girly, which is what most, not all, young girls might find appealing, but they also go beyond being just a piece of plastic with defined characteristics that do not portray a negative stereotype of women.

Olivia, Mia and the bunch are concerned about the environment and are creative and smart – which sounds a lot like the modern American woman. In fact, LEGO should expand its Friends product line to include Ann the first woman president, Betty the army reservist and Daphne the stay-at-home mom.

Like a number of feminist groups, the Change.org representatives are also advocating for gender neutrality in toys. They have targeted Barbies, Mattel and now LEGOs.

They have criticized LEGO for being sexist in their marketing campaign. The reality is that LEGO had better success selling products for boys. However, LEGO’s boy-focused marketing campaign does not prevent parents from buying these little plastic blocks for their daughters. My daughters have spent hours building tall skyscrapers and houses with the colorful LEGO blocks.

Parents are smart enough to bypass marketing tactics and decide what toys or games are appropriate for their children. We don’t need the help of advocacy groups to target some of our children’s favorite toys.

These feminist groups also spend their time constantly trying to downplay gender differences.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Women Prove Geek is Chic at Boys & Girls Club

From South San Francisco Patch: Women Prove Geek is Chic at Boys & Girls Club
At the mere age of 12, Melanie Martinez is a force to be reckoned with.

A natural leader and already a respected mentor of younger girls at the Boys and Girls Club, she carries herself with the poise of a young professional as she speaks of her passion for social sciences.

“It’s fun to know all about the past,” she said. “But I also really want to help people by being a psychologist for kids.”

Clearly a bright and innovative young mind, it seems she has insight to every question asked of her.

However, when asked to name a favorite female scientist of mathematician, Melanie is at a loss.

“It’s pretty sexist,” Melanie said as she questioned the lack of women in the fields of science and technology.

Melanie’s budding frustration is that of many women due to the fact that though women comprise half of the U.S work force, they hold only 25 percent of STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

In an effort to deter such dreary statistics, the Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County, in partnership with CA Technologies, invited 140 local girls to the South San Francisco clubhouse Tuesday to take part in “Tech Girls Rock,” an initiative to engage girls in information technology and tech-related activities.

Hoping to instill interest and offer information about possible tech careers, the day of workshops included lessons such as Lego robotics and CPU construction.

Tech Girls Rock is aimed at girls aged 9-16.

At first glance, Melanie said she was somewhat intimidated.

“It’s something that a lot of girls are shy about,” she said. “They have never had the tools to fix a computer, so they don’t get the chance to do that.”

But with the help of fellow tech novices and volunteers form the local CA Technologies office, those fears were quickly dispelled.

“I’m not alone,” Melanie said. “Other girls haven’t done this stuff either, but we get to work as a team.”

Melanie’s initial hesitation is all too common, said Sharon Dolan, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County.

“In terms of STEM,” she said. “Boys are more encouraged to participate in those subject than girls are.”

Due to a shortage of women as tech role models, particularly women of color, girls lack the encouragement to thrive in STEM subjects, Dolan said.

“My dad once told me, ‘Don’t worry too much about math and science because girls aren’t as good in those subjects,’” she said. “If someone would have said ‘You can do this,’ I think I’d like to have been an engineer.”

When CA proposed the tech engagement program, Dolan immediately jumped at the opportunity to hold a girl-specific event.

“There’s a big difference with how girls engage,” she said.

While in a general setting boys tend to take a hands-on approach to tech activities while girls stand back, events such as Tech Girls Rock allow girls to take the lead.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County is the fifth Boys & Girls Club in the nation to hold Tech Girls Rock after CA Technologies gave a $1 million contribution to hold workshops at clubs throughout the country.

“At the end of the day, it’s one thing to write a check, but we really wanted to get in there,” said CA Technologies Director of Community Affairs Erica Christensen.

So far workshops have spurred a lot of excitement and have demystified tech tools for many girls who at one point were uncomfortable with IT activities, Christensen said.

“A lot of girls aren’t encouraged to go in that direction and that needs to change,” Christensen said.

The advancement of women in technology is vital to the United States remaining a global competitor.

“The U.S is suffering in this area,” she said. “Our country will suffer greatly if we can’t keep up.”

With the ever-increasing industry, girls must retain tech skills in order to be successful in he future job market, Christensen said.

“Technology is such a part of everything now,” she said. “It is going to be a part of every job everywhere you go.”

According to the Economic and Statistics Administration, women in STEM jobs also receive 33 percent more earnings compared to those who hold non-STEM jobs.

If women do not reach equal ground in the tech industry it will not only be a loss for the country, but for future innovation, Christensen said.

“It’s a great loss to everybody,” she said. “These girls have a lot to offer.”

Christensen said she hopes to make Girls Tech Rock will soon become an annual event in order to give confidence to all potential tech girls.

The single day of tech-infused fun inspired Melanie to consider a career as a computer repair technician.

“Anyone can be working with technology,” Melanie said. “Even if they’re a girl.”

Women Prove Geek is Chic at Boys & Girls Club

From South San Francisco Patch: Women Prove Geek is Chic at Boys & Girls Club
At the mere age of 12, Melanie Martinez is a force to be reckoned with.

A natural leader and already a respected mentor of younger girls at the Boys and Girls Club, she carries herself with the poise of a young professional as she speaks of her passion for social sciences.

“It’s fun to know all about the past,” she said. “But I also really want to help people by being a psychologist for kids.”

Clearly a bright and innovative young mind, it seems she has insight to every question asked of her.

However, when asked to name a favorite female scientist of mathematician, Melanie is at a loss.

“It’s pretty sexist,” Melanie said as she questioned the lack of women in the fields of science and technology.

Melanie’s budding frustration is that of many women due to the fact that though women comprise half of the U.S work force, they hold only 25 percent of STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

In an effort to deter such dreary statistics, the Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County, in partnership with CA Technologies, invited 140 local girls to the South San Francisco clubhouse Tuesday to take part in “Tech Girls Rock,” an initiative to engage girls in information technology and tech-related activities.

Hoping to instill interest and offer information about possible tech careers, the day of workshops included lessons such as Lego robotics and CPU construction.

Tech Girls Rock is aimed at girls aged 9-16.

At first glance, Melanie said she was somewhat intimidated.

“It’s something that a lot of girls are shy about,” she said. “They have never had the tools to fix a computer, so they don’t get the chance to do that.”

But with the help of fellow tech novices and volunteers form the local CA Technologies office, those fears were quickly dispelled.

“I’m not alone,” Melanie said. “Other girls haven’t done this stuff either, but we get to work as a team.”

Melanie’s initial hesitation is all too common, said Sharon Dolan, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County.

“In terms of STEM,” she said. “Boys are more encouraged to participate in those subject than girls are.”

Due to a shortage of women as tech role models, particularly women of color, girls lack the encouragement to thrive in STEM subjects, Dolan said.

“My dad once told me, ‘Don’t worry too much about math and science because girls aren’t as good in those subjects,’” she said. “If someone would have said ‘You can do this,’ I think I’d like to have been an engineer.”

When CA proposed the tech engagement program, Dolan immediately jumped at the opportunity to hold a girl-specific event.

“There’s a big difference with how girls engage,” she said.

While in a general setting boys tend to take a hands-on approach to tech activities while girls stand back, events such as Tech Girls Rock allow girls to take the lead.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of North San Mateo County is the fifth Boys & Girls Club in the nation to hold Tech Girls Rock after CA Technologies gave a $1 million contribution to hold workshops at clubs throughout the country.

“At the end of the day, it’s one thing to write a check, but we really wanted to get in there,” said CA Technologies Director of Community Affairs Erica Christensen.

So far workshops have spurred a lot of excitement and have demystified tech tools for many girls who at one point were uncomfortable with IT activities, Christensen said.

“A lot of girls aren’t encouraged to go in that direction and that needs to change,” Christensen said.

The advancement of women in technology is vital to the United States remaining a global competitor.

“The U.S is suffering in this area,” she said. “Our country will suffer greatly if we can’t keep up.”

With the ever-increasing industry, girls must retain tech skills in order to be successful in he future job market, Christensen said.

“Technology is such a part of everything now,” she said. “It is going to be a part of every job everywhere you go.”

According to the Economic and Statistics Administration, women in STEM jobs also receive 33 percent more earnings compared to those who hold non-STEM jobs.

If women do not reach equal ground in the tech industry it will not only be a loss for the country, but for future innovation, Christensen said.

“It’s a great loss to everybody,” she said. “These girls have a lot to offer.”

Christensen said she hopes to make Girls Tech Rock will soon become an annual event in order to give confidence to all potential tech girls.

The single day of tech-infused fun inspired Melanie to consider a career as a computer repair technician.

“Anyone can be working with technology,” Melanie said. “Even if they’re a girl.”

Eggs unlimited: an extraordinary tale of scientific discovery

Not a story about girl or women scientists, but rather about women's bodies. There are "truisms" that are not neccesarily true. If you become a scientist, there are truisms that you can investigate and refute if you so desire.

From The Independent: Eggs unlimited: an extraordinary tale of scientific discovery
A dogma has haunted the study and treatment of female infertility for more than half a century. It states that a baby girl is born with an ever-diminishing number of egg cells which cannot be renewed or replenished during her life, and that when she runs out of these eggs an irreversible menopause begins.

The dogma's origins go back to 1951 when Sir Solly Zuckerman, a South African born British scientist, published the definitive study showing “unequivocally” that the human ovary, like that of other mammals, has a finite resource of egg cells that begins to be lost during foetal development, even before a woman is born.

Estimates suggested that the female foetus has about 7 million putative egg cells that reduce to about 1 million at the point of birth. By the time of puberty, the teenage girl has between about 300,000 and 400,000 egg cells and these are lost at a rate of about 1,000 a month, with typically just one ripening to maturity at the time of ovulation.

Menopause usually begins, so the dogma goes, in late middle age when the egg bank runs out of its most valuable currency. It is then, for many women, that age-associated health problems begin, from hot flushes and osteoporosis to heart disease and cognitive decline.

The problem with the dogma, and Zuckerman's “definitive” study, was that it turns out not to be true. In a series of remarkable studies published over the past eight years scientists have produced convincing evidence to suggest that women are not after all born with all the egg cells that they will ever possess.

Several research teams across the world have shown that the mammalian ovary is far more versatile than Zuckerman and his subsequent followers had ever thought possible. The core of this new thinking lies in the remarkable discovery of “oogonial stem cells” within the ovary that are capable of producing a constant supply of fresh eggs, or oocytes.

The discovery of these stem cells, which had gone unrecognised for six decades, has profound implications for the study and treatment of female fertility, as well as a plethora of other health conditions.

It raises the prospect of being able to grow unlimited numbers of human oocytes in the laboratory that could either be used in IVF treatment or as a source of embryonic stem cells to treat incurable illnesses such as Parkinson‘s disease.

But, even more profound, is the idea that human ovaries might be induced in some way to function well into old age, not for the sake of maintaining fertility but to retain the other health benefits that stem from active, egg-filled ovaries.

Some scientists are seriously suggesting that this work will lead to reversing or at least delaying the menopause, and a few even talk of an “elixir of youth” that will allow women to regain the good health they enjoyed when they were young and fertile.

“To me, there is a grander golden chalice here which is ageing itself. These cells may provide a way for us to tackle that tremendously important problem,” said Professor Jonathan Tilly of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

“It's very clear that keeping the ovaries working has tremendous health benefits on the ageing female body,” Professor Tilly said.

It was Tilly's pioneering work in 2004 that kick-started the revolution now sweeping through fertility laboratories around the world. It was he who discovered and named the oogonial stem cells in the mammalian ovary.

Like so many important scientific discoveries, this one was unexpected and serendipitous. Tilly was working on a quite different problem when he and his team discovered something that they could not explain.

“We never set out to disprove the dogma. In fact we were looking at cell death, to better define why egg cells die and how they die. Ten years ago, like everyone else, I believed the dogma was correct,” Professor Tilly said.

He had developed a technique for counting the rate at which ovary cells die and the findings were puzzling. To summarise, he found that cells were dying about three times faster than they should be, which meant that the egg cell deposit should be running out even faster than it does - something must be replacing them.

“When we first saw this we were in complete shock and disbelief because we, like everyone else, believed the dogma, but yet we had a mathematical dilemma that told us otherwise,” he said.

“I was in such shock that we did it over and over again, but we came to the same conclusion each time. We were completely caught off guard.”

When Tilly published his study in the journal Nature in 2004 the fertility community was not pleased. Understandably, he was subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny that continued for many years afterwards, but some comments were designed to be deliberately cruel.

“It was discouraging to hear so many people voice negative comments about the work, and many of the comments were not based on science but were personal opinions and beliefs,” Tilly said.

The work was carried out on mouse ovaries, the standard animal model, and some critics suggested the findings may be an artefact of murine tissue. One reviewer helpfully suggested that humans are not big mice, unless you live in Disneyland.

Evelyn Telfer of Edinburgh University was one of Tilly’s kinder critics. She said she just couldn’t bring herself to believe something that broke the Zuckerman rule on which she was brought up.

“Everything we did was informed by this dogma. Everything was based on the idea that there could be no more new oocytes. We approached everything on the basis of a fixed population of egg cells,” Dr Telfer said.

“Tilley was relatively new to the field when he published that paper in 2004 and other people already in the field said that there must be other, alternative explanations for his results,” she said.

”The problem at that time was that it [Tilly’s 2004 study] wasn’t the cleanest of experiments to absolutely show the existence of oocyte stem cells,“ she added.

”It was very bold of Tilley because he was reporting results that went against the dogma. It would have been so easy for him to try to fit them into the dogma. It made people sit up and think.“

The real problem was trying to isolate and characterise these supposed stem cells. Tilly wrongly suggested in 2005 that they could reside in the bone marrow and migrate to the ovaries.

Then a key breakthrough happened in 2009 when a Chinese group led by Ji Wu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University published a study claiming to have isolated stem cells in mouse ovaries which Wu had used to generate mature egg cells. She reported the successfully fertilisation of these eggs, resulting in offspring.

Again, many remained sceptical, but Telfer was no longer one of them: ”The breakthrough for me in my relationship with Tilley was when the Chinese group published their paper in 2009.“ She was a convert to the dogma-breaking minority.

Tilly began furious attempts to replicate Wu’s work but, like many others trying to do the same, it defied repetition - which is the key to science. Wu’s description of her methodology appeared incomplete.

”We tried for nine months to get her protocol to work. If I was a sceptic of this work I would have tried three times and quit and say that it's not repeatable,“ Professor Tilly said.

”But we spent months and months working with the protocol to get it to work. It was nine months of non-stop trial and error before we succeeded and I still don’t know what we did right because we had changed and tinkered with so many different things,“ he said.

Armed with this new protocol, Tilly was about to make his most important breakthrough.

While attending a scientific conference in Tokyo he met up with a former colleague, Yasushi Takai of Saitama Medical University, who had a bank of frozen human ovaries taken from Japanese women undergoing sex-change treatment.

Here was the opportunity for Tilly to try out his new protocol for isolating ovarian stem cells on genuine human tissue. He lost no time in showing that these elusive cells do indeed exist in humans and that they could be induced to develop into very early stage oocytes - he did not, after all, live in Disneyland.

”It worked the first time. The human cells popped out and they had every attribute the mouse cells had,“ Professor Tilly said.

When he inserted the human oogonial stem cells into mouse ovarian tissue he witnessed their partial development down the path towards fully mature oocytes, but only partial.

What was needed was some way of bringing these very early eggs to full development. It was only by ripening them completely and allowing them to be fertilised by a human sperm that he could finally prove the existence of true oogonial stem cells in the human ovary.

Tilly then remembered his one-time critic in Edinburgh. Telfer had pioneered a technique for bringing egg cells to full maturity from the precise developmental stage that Tilly was able to reach with his oogonial stem cells.

”There is a common juncture point where we can get to and from where she starts. Sticking the two procedures together was a no-brainer,“ Professor Tilly said.

The Edinburgh University team has already received material and expertise from Tilly and Dr Telfer is now about to apply for a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to carry out the first fertilisation of a mature human egg derived from oogonial stem cells grown in a laboratory dish.

If an early human embryo is produced in this way it will dramatically alter the landscape for human fertility treatment. Women and girls undergoing ovary-destroying chemotherapy or radiation treatment may be able in the future to have their oogonial stem cells stored and banked so that they could later have an unlimited supply of their own eggs for IVF treatment.

It will also mean that science has a way of producing egg cells in the laboratory for a range of experimental and practical purposes. One of these could lead to a fundamental understanding of the menopause itself - why do women, unlike men, stop producing their sex cells in middle age?

Answering this question could be the key to solving many of the health problems associated with female ageing. Tilly and Telfer both believe that the menopause may not be due to a shortage of egg cells per se, but a depletion of the cells within the ovary that are needed to support and nurture oocytes.

If this is the case, and if Tilly’s oogonial stem cells can be used to replenish human egg cells or used to develop ways of extending the life of their vital support cells in the human ovary, the menopause could indeed be delayed or reversed.

”Personally I don't think it's hype because that's our goal. The mouse studies show it can be done, that you can essentially delay the menopause to very advanced ages simply by maintaining an adequate reserve of egg cells in the ovaries,“ Professor Tilly said.

And if it is possible to delay the menopause, there will hopefully be associated health benefits for older women. But could it really be an elixir of youth?

”From the mouse studies, if you keep the ovaries working, yes it's an elixir of youth without any increased risk of cancer. It's published and it's indisputable,“ Professor Tilly said.

Case Study:

An Egg Donor

"Women are put off donating eggs by how painful and arduous the process is"

Sylvia Barr, from south London, was 34 when she donated an egg in 1991. She said she felt the urge to do so after conceiving her own son Eliott thanks to a sperm donor.

"In 1990, I was 33 and I decided I wanted to be a mother. I didn’t have a partner, I had been through some unsuccessful relationships so I decided I wanted to have a child on my own. I had IVF treatment with donated sperm and I was lucky enough that the procedure worked first time.

“I felt that I had been helped by an altruistic stranger and I asked myself what I could do to help someone else. I didn’t want any more children beyond my son for financial reasons. I believe that, in life, you don’t just take; you have to give back as well. A stranger helped me have a child, I wanted to reciprocate.

“There is still not an abundance of egg donors. I think people are put off by how hard and time-consuming the process is. A lot of people don’t understand what is involved: I had to give myself injections, use the nasal spray and go under an anaesthetic.

“But it was worth it in the end. It was something I wanted to do, to give something back. It was a way of evening things out for me, it was very important.

“I was driven by my own circumstances and seeing my own son made me want to help someone else find the same happiness. I didn’t mind who got my egg but if I could help them have that same joy, then I was happy to do it.

“I knew the process was painful and arduous, I had counselling to explain the implications and get me through the treatment. Your own health is put at risk; you are put on synthetic drugs and given hormones.

“You can produce too many eggs, making your ovaries enlarged, which is a serious condition, and I was told there is a higher risk of cancer. But the main issue is psychological. Understanding and being prepared to donate potentially human life is a big thing to deal with.

“I never worried about scarcity of embryos in my later life because you produce many more than you ever need. The ovary is full of potential life, so I didn’t think of it is a problem. But I have read since that there is an increased risk of infertility in people who have donated eggs."

Case Study:

Early menopause

"It was like my sister was just lending me her make-up or something"

Claire Cousins, 27, from Oxfordshire, had tried unsuccessfully to have a child for three years. After she found out she had gone through the menopause early at the age of 22, her sister agreed to donate an egg.

"I felt funny when I thought of having an unknown donor’s egg. I wanted my genes in my baby. My initial thought was that it was a three-year waiting list. Before looking into what the whole process actually meant, my friends said they would give me an egg.

"The way my sister looked at it was that her family was complete. Obviously, there is always the chance that the procedure could ruin her own fertility but she thought: ‘I am not using the egg, so go ahead’. It was like she was just lending me her makeup or something.

"I have spoken to some friends who said they are not sure that they could do it, but my sister’s attitude seemed to be: 'if that’s what you need, then that’s what I will give you’. Harry is 13-months-old now. Receiving that egg was the best thing in the world; I cherish him every day.

"We had to go through counselling individually and as a group with my sister’s husband. I had to have scans done on my womb but it was my sister who had to go through the worst. She had to have injections and use a nasal spray.

"I can understand why people don’t want to do it, it is a long process and it is harder for a woman to donate an egg than it is for a man to donate sperm. As a woman, you have to have an operation and be put under anaesthetic. I can understand it’s hard, but if it means that someone can have a baby, then as many people as possible should do it.

"You have to be strong enough to understand that someone else is going to have a baby and that the baby is not yours; you need to be prepared mentally.

"There is an issue in potential donors’ minds, of the risks to their own fertility. If you feel you are going to try for a baby again later in your life, then maybe you are not mentally ready. The best situation is if you think your family is complete.

"Hospitals advise you to think in those terms and you have to be at a certain age before you can donate to be on the safe side and you are told that the process could affect your own fertility."

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

'World's best female chef' shares recipe for success

Cooking is a science as well as an art. (Okay, that's reaching, but I thought I'd share the story anyway!)
From CNN: 'World's best female chef' shares recipe for success
alence, France (CNN) -- French gastronomy is a male-dominated world, and its centuries-old traditions are fiercely protected.

So, although Anne-Sophie Pic is the daughter and granddaughter of Michelin-starred chefs, it was not always clear she would continue the family tradition.

But in 2007, with no formal training, Pic became the only female chef in France (and only the fourth woman in history) to earn the culinary world's top honor -- a three-Michelin-star rating -- for her family's restaurant, La Maison Pic, in the Rhone-Alpes town of Valence. While in 2011, she was voted World's Best Female Chef as part of the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards.

Pic believes her success comes because of, not in spite of, being a woman. She considers the lighthearted taste combinations she has pioneered to be an expression of her femininity: Diners at her flagship restaurant can eat turbot flavored with jasmine, veal sweetbreads flavored with lavender and oysters with sorrel jelly and licorice yoghurt.
French gastronomy is in Anne-Sophie Pic's blood and in 2007 her restaurant, Maison Pic was awarded the three-Michelin-star rating.
French gastronomy is in Anne-Sophie Pic's blood and in 2007 her restaurant, Maison Pic was awarded the three-Michelin-star rating.
Sophie Pic, Anne-Sophie's great grandmother, established her cafe, l'Auberge du Pin in 1889. The fare grew popular with the area and food lovers would come from all over to savor her signature dishes, including sauteed rabbit, poultry fricassees and various gratins.
Sophie Pic, Anne-Sophie's great grandmother, established her cafe, l'Auberge du Pin in 1889. The fare grew popular with the area and food lovers would come from all over to savor her signature dishes, including sauteed rabbit, poultry fricassees and various gratins.
Anne-Sophie Pic says: "My great grandmother taught my grandfather how to cook, so the family cuisine came from a woman." Pic's grandfather, Andre Pic was awarded the three-Michelin-star rating in 1934.
Anne-Sophie Pic says: "My great grandmother taught my grandfather how to cook, so the family cuisine came from a woman." Pic's grandfather, Andre Pic was awarded the three-Michelin-star rating in 1934.
Like his father before him, Jacques Pic also won a three-Michelin-star rating for his French cuisine in 1973. Thirty-four years later, his daughter, Anne-Sophie would get her three stars.
Like his father before him, Jacques Pic also won a three-Michelin-star rating for his French cuisine in 1973. Thirty-four years later, his daughter, Anne-Sophie would get her three stars.
The Pic family's restaurant, La Maison Pic, in the Rhone-Alpes town of Valence. Pic says: "When we lost a [Michelin] star in '95, I decided to return to the kitchen. I felt I had lost my father's third star, and I had to get it again for him."
The Pic family's restaurant, La Maison Pic, in the Rhone-Alpes town of Valence. Pic says: "When we lost a [Michelin] star in '95, I decided to return to the kitchen. I felt I had lost my father's third star, and I had to get it again for him."
Pic runs her restaurant Maison Pic with the love and support of her husband, David. She says: "I let him manage everything but the cuisine ... His work is as important as mine, but he accepts not being in the spotlight and, for me, that's proof of intelligence. And love."
Pic runs her restaurant Maison Pic with the love and support of her husband, David. She says: "I let him manage everything but the cuisine ... His work is as important as mine, but he accepts not being in the spotlight and, for me, that's proof of intelligence. And love."
"All my emotions are feminine, so I have this feminine way of cooking," says Pic. Her dish of Turbot Concombre shows the simple, feminine elegance of her creations.
"All my emotions are feminine, so I have this feminine way of cooking," says Pic. Her dish of Turbot Concombre shows the simple, feminine elegance of her creations.
"When you get the third star you now must give more effort , more energy to maintain standards and even improve the organization," says Pic. Her first Paris restaurant, La Dame de Pic, opens in September. "When you get the third star you now must give more effort , more energy to maintain standards and even improve the organization," says Pic. Her first Paris restaurant, La Dame de Pic, opens in September.
Pictured here, one of Pic's famed dishes, Tarte Legumes. Pic believes the best advice she can give is to remind people to develop their talents. She says: "Sometime it takes a lot for people to understand what they are on earth for. You have to trust yourself."
Pictured here, one of Pic's famed dishes, Tarte Legumes. Pic believes the best advice she can give is to remind people to develop their talents. She says: "Sometime it takes a lot for people to understand what they are on earth for. You have to trust yourself."
Anne-Sophie Pic
Sophie Pic
Andre Pic
Jacques Pic
La Maison Pic
Pic and husband David Sinapian
Turbot Concombre
Inside La Maison Pic
Tarte Legumes
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Family Pic: France's haute cuisine dynasty Family Pic: France's haute cuisine dynasty

The men in Pic's life are also important to her success, though. Having left her hometown as a teenager to study management, Pic returned to Valence, aged 23, to learn cooking from her father, shortly before he died.

Now 42, she has a six-year-old son and works with her husband to run La Maison Pic, which has expanded to include a boutique hotel, a cooking school and a casual bistro. In 2009, Pic opened another Michelin-starred restaurant in Lausanne, and launched a gastronomic foundation for children. Her first Paris restaurant, La Dame de Pic, opens in September.

Here, Pic speaks to CNN about the influence of family and femininity on her work.

On the glass ceiling ...

In the very beginning -- I'm talking about 20 years ago -- the profession was not open-minded enough to accept a woman in this job, and I felt that very strongly. That can awaken something very strong, though.
It's more important for me to be a mother than to be a chef ... it influences my creativity. And it balances my character.
Anne-Sophie Pic combines her work as a mother and chef

Little by little, I realized that being a woman could be a strength. It's another way of thinking about cuisine. It's another way of managing people, also.

On femininity ...

All my emotions are feminine, so I have this feminine way in my cooking. I think some men are able to make very feminine cuisine, but they are perhaps more focused on technique, less on developing the emotional part.

My great grandmother taught my grandfather how to cook, so the family cuisine came from a woman.

On travel ...

I left to study business in Paris because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I spent six months in Japan and six months in the United States. It was good experience. I discovered Japanese cuisine. I discovered Champagne.

I was far from my family and I had a chance to grow. From others, I discovered the beauty of my father's job. I needed to leave to understand that.

On entering the family business ...

I decided to return home in '92 to learn from my father. I spent three months with him. We talked a lot. It was a beautiful time. Unfortunately, that September, he passed away. Of course, it was a shock. How to manage without him? I was in the kitchen but it was difficult because I missed him a lot. I decided to work in reception, but when we lost a [Michelin] star in '95, I decided to return to the kitchen. I felt I had lost my father's third star, and I had to get it again for him.
I didn't know how to cook. I was a woman. I lost my teacher -- my father. But there's always a way to transform negative to positive.
Anne-Sophie Pic

On success ...

The main change was that the phone kept ringing all the time. It was like a tsunami. And even though it's an honor, when you get the third star you now must give more effort, more energy to maintain standards and even improve the organization.

On trust ...

If you are fully booked all the time, you need to have more employees and to train them. I was quite afraid of development. Because I'm a perfectionist, I couldn't trust a team not working with me everyday. But because I'm also a mother, I have to trust people. I'm not in the kitchen all day; I am sometimes with my son. It can be an adventure to trust people.

On being a mother ...

I was married, I became a mother, and it changed me a lot. It gave me more maturity in my cuisine, also.

I used to say, it's more important for me to be a mother than to be a chef, because if I don't feel all is well with my child, I'm not able to work well. So, it influences my creativity.

And it balances my character: I'm a perfectionist, but when I go home, I can forget all my troubles.

On her typical day ...

I wake at seven in the morning and get my child ready for school. I go to work at nine, beginning in the kitchen. If I have appointments with suppliers or if I'm experimenting, I do that very, very early in the morning because that's the time I feel better.
The main thing is to develop your own talent. Sometimes it takes a lot for people to understand what they are on Earth for.
Anne-Sophie Pic

Then there is a lunch service, appointments, discussions about cooking with my assistant.

Three times a week, I try to pick my son up from school. Then my husband comes home. We try to dine together, because it's the only part of the day all of the family is together.

On mentoring women ...

I'm very attentive to the women in the kitchen. I'm always acting like a mother, looking at their face to see if everything is all right, because I know that physically, they can tire before men. Mentally, they are strong.

On her husband's role ...

I let him manage everything but the cuisine. The only thing is -- and he knows this -- it has to be feminine. When people come here, they have to feel something the moment they enter the house. His work is as important as mine, but he accepts not being in the spotlight and, for me, that's proof of intelligence. And love, of course.

On advice for others ...

The main thing is to develop your own talent. Sometimes it takes a lot for people to understand what they are on Earth for. You have to trust yourself.

When I first started, I didn't know how to cook. I was a woman. I lost my teacher -- my father. But there's always a way to transform negative to positive.

You have to believe in yourself. I don't believe in myself all the time, but something inside me tells me, 'It's your job. You have to express your sensibility.'

The point is -- and nobody can do it except you -- to find what you are made for.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Einstein’s Advice To A Little Girl Who Wants To Be A Scientist

Back in Einstein's time - the 20s and 30s, girls minded being girls because that's all they could be. A girl, then a wife and mother. And if not a wife, then a mother to a some other woman's children (as a nanny or teacher).

There were exceptional women who fought against being confined to the home. They went out and did things - and they were exceptional because up until the 1970s, that's something women just did not do, and they were criticized for it, called unwomanly for it, by not only men but other women as well.

From The Frisky : Einstein’s Advice To A Little Girl Who Wants To Be A Scientist

As per the book Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein’s Letters to and from Children, this is a 1946 letter written by a little girl to Einstein:
I forgot to tell you, in my last letter, that I was a girl. I mean I am a girl. I have always regretted this a great deal, but by now I have become more or less resigned to the fact. Anyway, I hate dresses and dances and all the kind of rot girls usually like. I much prefer horses and riding. Long ago, before I wanted to become a scientist, I wanted to be a jockey and ride horses in races. But that was ages ago, now. I hope you will not think any the less of me for being a girl!

Albert Einstein’s response:
I do not mind that you are a girl, but the main thing is that you yourself do not mind. There is no reason for it.

Who knew Einstein was a feminist?! It’s advice even us big girls should follow.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Littleton astronomer Margaret Harwood remembered for achievements

From Wicked Local Littleton : Littleton astronomer Margaret Harwood remembered for achievements


Littleton — Today it’s hard to believe, but less than 100 years ago, American women still hadn’t obtained the right to vote. That came with the passage of the 19th amendment in August of 1920. If this commonplace right was denied, you can imagine how difficult it would have been to be recognized as a serious scientist, particularly in the male-dominated study of astronomy.



So it was some surprise that the March 8, 1912 edition of The New York Times carried the following headline:



“Astronomy Prize to Woman — Miss Harwood is awarded the $1,000 Nantucket Fellowship



Cambridge, Massachusetts–the Woman's Astronomical fellowship of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association was awarded today to Ms. Margaret Harwood of Littleton, Mass. The Fellowship… is to be devoted to advanced astronomical study and research work for six months on Nantucket Island and six months in any large observatory, which the recipient may choose.


Miss Harwood is a graduate of Radcliffe College and for the past four years has studied as an assistant in the Harvard Observatory.”



Well, long before she could vote, Harwood was making a name for herself in newspapers throughout the world.



Littleton beginnings


Harwood was born in 1885 and educated in the Littleton and Concord school systems. She excelled at math and science, which gained her acceptance into the all-women’s Radcliffe College. According to the Harvard University Library, she graduated in 1907, a member of Phi Beta Kappa.



After graduation she worked as an assistant at the Harvard College Observatory until 1912 when she got her first big break winning the aforementioned fellowship.


At Nantucket she worked at the observatory, which was named after the astronomer and educator, Maria Mitchell. Mitchell discovered a comet in 1847, which led to international fame and many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first American Professor of Astronomy at Vassar College. Mitchell was a true pioneer for women in science and her achievements provided Harwood a solid platform for launching her own career.



In 1916 Harwood earned her master’s degree from the University of California and was next appointed director at the Maria Mitchell Observatory, the first woman to be appointed to that position at an independent observatory in the United States. She would serve as director there for the next 41 years until 1957.


An otherworldly woman


At the time, the few women who were involved in astronomy were relegated to areas of study that were less interesting and cutting edge. However limited her opportunities, that didn’t stop Harwood from making the most of them — there was a big universe out there.




As mentioned in the Encyclopedia of World Scientists, she devoted herself to the study of variable stars and asteroids or minor planets as they are sometimes called. Her particular field was photometry, measuring variation in the light of stars and asteroids, especially that of the asteroid Eros.



According to the Dictionary of Minor Planets, Volume 1, her discovery of the asteroid Washingtonia four days before its official recognition by the U.S. Naval Observatory in 1917 was squashed.



At the time, her Harvard mentors considered it inappropriate for women to receive public recognition for these discoveries so they deferred to the later U.S. Naval Observatory’s claim.


However she would do them all one better some day.



In the interim, she satisfied herself as the only woman astronomer to have photographed three solar eclipses and she was recognized in astronomical societies here and abroad. She continued to publish articles about variable stars and asteroids and their light wave patterns.



Part of a larger Universe


But there was so much more to Harwood than just pure science. She was an educational and civic leader throughout her lifetime, including:



· Teaching at MIT during World War II


· Mentoring students



· Participating in various professional organizations



· Awarded a Graduate Chapter Medal by Radcliffe College



· Red Cross home service worker 1918-1922



· Trustee of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital 1925-1927



· President of the Coffin School Association 1935-1937



· Member of the Nantucket School Committee 1936-1940



· Helping Boy Scouts earn merit badges in astronomy



· A member of the American Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (England)



· Teaching at various at private schools in Massachusetts



· Teaching evening classes in navigation to adults and during World War II, to members of the Navy Sea Bees in Nantucket.



· Serving as secretary to her class at Radcliffe from 1905-1922



· In 1957, following her retirement from the Maria Mitchell Observatory, she was presented a Graduate Chapter Medal by Radcliffe College for distinguished achievement



The tall and slender Harwood was a woman who carried herself with great charm, always looking to help others. In Lillian Moller Gilbreth’s book, “A Life beyond ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’” she talked about Harwood at Nantucket:



“(She) held an open house every other Monday and the Gilbreths were among the dozens of people climbing up onto the Observatory to look through the telescope and learn about stars. She taught them how to use a sextant and navigate by the stars; she also ran a wildflower club. She was immensely popular on the island and is remembered as having loads of charm — the way she greeted people she was just wonderful. She had loads of friends.



There were not many opportunities for women astronomers in those days, but Margaret Harwood did what she could to help. Young women in turn spent the summer on the island helping her run the observatory. Margaret was remembered as a guide, philosopher and friend. Sometimes stopping by to go swimming with the Gilbreths and talk to the children, ‘Marnie’ as they called her, was a great favorite of the girls.”



Still in orbit


Harwood died in 1979 at the age of 94 and is buried at Westlawn Cemetery in Littleton. But during her lifetime she was able to witness great advances for both women and astronomy.



She saw men land on the moon and learn that Sally Ride was becoming America’s first astronaut. She knew of the Mariner spacecraft reaching Venus and Mars and the Pioneer program reaching out to Jupiter, Saturn and beyond. She read of Rachel Carson’s contributions to environmental science and Margaret Mead’s insights into anthropology.



Harwood may have wondered if things would have been different if she had been born later — but one thing that she couldn’t change was the recognition of her fellow astronomers bestowed upon her in September 1960. The scientific trio of Cornelis Johannes van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groveneveld and Tom Gehrels discovered an asteroid and promptly named it in Harwood’s honor.



7040 Harwood (2642 P-L) sits in the main belt asteroid forever tumbling and orbiting our sun between Mars and Jupiter. And justice be served: Neither Harvard nor the U.S. Naval Observatory can claim a asteroid named in their honor.



Live on Margaret!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Newly discovered advertising art illustrates Indy's past

This article has nothing to do with science but its interesting and I thought I'd share it. Do you have a grandmother? Have you ever listened to her stories of when she was young - what did she do for a living?

And does she have mementos or things she's collected from the past? Don't sell them on Ebay - give them to a museum!

From the Indianapolis Star: Newly discovered advertising art illustrates Indy's past
After Sue Payne's mother died in 2006, the work began. Every week or two, Payne's husband, John, climbed into the old attic and brought down boxes.

Payne would spend the next week going through vintage post cards, letters from decades past, clothing from the 1920s. She even found a locket that matched one in a photograph of her great-great-aunt.

Then one day, Payne peeled away some yellowed newspaper and unwrapped a revelation. Her mother had been much more talented than she had imagined. Payne's mother, Betty Schaefer, had been part of a bygone era in advertising -- long before the advent of "Mad Men" -- when big downtown department stores ruled the retail landscape and employed their own fashion illustrators.

Payne found a stylish drawing of a woman's legs in back-seamed nylon stockings, a face faintly visible in the background.

A second piece of artwork featured big sexy legs with high-heeled shoes. It had been used in a 1940s print ad for The Indianapolis News. The instructions for newspaper printers were still legible: "1/2 red, reverse pos, Fri News, Blocks up, line and highlight halftone."

"It just knocked me out," said Payne, recalling the moment. She knew her mother had been an artist for Wm. H. Block Co. department store but didn't realize the extent of her background in commercial art. Furniture had been her mother's specialty, and it was the only type of art Payne had ever seen her do. "To see this was remarkable. I was like, 'Damn, I wish I could ask her about it.' "

But it was too late for that.

For weeks, Payne, 58, went through scads of illustrations, uncovering nearly 300 in all. It got so she couldn't help herself. When her husband would carry more artwork down from the attic, Payne would sometimes cry.

"It was like Christmas every day," she said.

And now she is sharing that gift with the community. This spring, her mother's artwork will be donated to the Indiana Historical Society for preservation and future study.

Steve Haller, the historical society's senior director of collections, describes the collection as "high-quality" and said it is "far more engaging than perhaps a nostalgic look at how advertisers once saw their customers."

In addition to the drawings, Payne found a black-and-white halftone image of her mom sitting at her desk at Blocks in the 1940s and newspaper clippings featuring her mom's artwork.

One drawing depicted a woman's hands painting the buttons on a serviceman's uniform, an advertisement for Revlon's Keep 'em Shining. Another drawing was a tube of toothpaste with a chef who devised the formula, an ad for Elizabeth Arden. Another drawing showed bobby pins falling out of an envelope. "They'll do a swell MP job on your AWOL locks and keep them where you put them," the ad read.

Through much of the 20th century, Blocks was one of Indiana's premier department stores. From 1937 to 1953, Schaefer worked at the eight-story Blocks store at the corner of Illinois and Market streets in Downtown Indianapolis. Blocks closed in 1988, and its 10 Indiana stores were converted to Lazarus stores. The building is now home to a T.J. Maxx store and apartments.

Payne's artwork, Haller said, offers a window into the cultural history of advertising in the United States and adds to the historical records of Indiana and Indianapolis.

Jo Nicks, 92, a former colleague of Schaefer's, says Blocks in the 1940s was a special place and time.

Nicks came to Blocks as a commercial artist in 1940 and became great friends with Schaefer. The Indianapolis resident still keeps in touch with Payne and remembers what she called "the golden years" at Blocks -- from creating artwork for ads to sneaking out to watch movies over lunch when the two weren't busy.

Artists made $15 per week in salary and would go out on the sales floor to see the furniture or draw from manufacturers' photos. Sometimes, Nicks said, store products were brought to the artists, who would draw the pictures.

Mannequins, rather than live models, were used to illustrate clothing.

After the artwork was published, it was returned daily to Blocks and put in a closet. Artists had a chance to take their work before it was thrown out.

Nicks recalled how each artist had a specialty, hers being household goods such as pots and pans and, later, lingerie and ladies' fashions.

Schaefer's specialties were hosiery, children's clothing, draperies, rugs, tablecloths, hankies and furniture. "She could take a picture of a sofa and turn it into this gorgeous thing," said Payne, who remembers watching her mother draw pictures of couches, chairs and dining room tables.

Payne's mom later designed furniture and co-owned with her daughter a store called Colonial Treasures in Zionsville. Schaefer worked as an interpreter in costume in the late 1960s and early 1970s at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park in Fishers, where she also volunteered.

Payne, a textile specialist at Conner Prairie, has spent the past four years cleaning, restoring and now appraising her mother's artwork. Many of the drawings are yellowed; light has gotten to some pieces and left an uneven color.

Through an art store, she found Guy Davis, an art conservator at Snodgrass & Davis Studio near Broad Ripple, who has been removing stains and surface grime and is digitizing every piece so Payne can keep copies.

"She brought the artwork to me because it was in really poor condition," said Davis, 59, Zionsville, who would spend up to an hour on each item. "A lot of them had fingerprints and stickers The Star would use to label the artwork," he said. Most of the work was done on illustration board with colored pencils.

Davis has relined canvas with new linen and removed dimples and imprints caused when pieces leaned together.

It was during that process that Payne decided to donate the collection to the historical society. "I want it to go to an institution where it will be well taken care of," she said.

Through finding all of these treasures, Payne said, she gained a new appreciation for her mother.

The advertising drawings weren't the only treasures in the attic. Payne also found several watercolor paintings that date to primary school, when her Marion-born mother was 9 years old and growing up in Hollywood, Calif. There were also 13 pieces of artwork from John Herron Art Institute dated 1935.

Payne discovered her mom's lightheartedness, intelligence and great imagination in her artwork. "She was a lot more creative and even a much better artist than I had realized. I kind of took it for granted, and I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd complimented her more."

Said Payne: "I wish we would have been able to get these things down before Mom died. . . . I wish she could tell me about them. It would have been incredible to be able to show her these things and talk about them."

Now she knows her mother's legacy will be kept alive.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Easter Pause

So sorry to have missed so many days of posting - unexpected family matters cropped up.



And now it's Easter, so more family matters.



Will get back on track Monday.



Thanks for your patience.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Marine Biologist is a Giant in World of Shrimp Medicine


From Jakarta Globe: Marine Biologist is a Giant in World of Shrimp Medicine
After Aceh was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, its economy had to be rebuilt to meet the demand for food and to provide jobs. Marine biologist Sidrotun Naim, 32, the “shrimp doctor” to her Acehnese colleagues, is playing a pivotal role in this rebuilding, and in the future health of Indonesian shrimp farms.

Sidrotun arrived in Aceh’s Pidie district in 2006, after she graduated in marine biology from the University of Queensland in Australia. Working as part of a tsunami rehabilitation program through the World Wildlife Fund, Sidrotun was asked to consult on a shrimp breeding project.

“They said, ‘You’re clever and still young, you must study the shrimp and help us,’ ” Sidrotun said. And so she dedicated herself to shrimp, and helping the people of Pidie and Aceh get back on their feet.

Sidrotun is from a large Javanese family and excelled at school, picking up a number of prestigious scholarships as she furthered her studies. She is thought to be one of the first crustacean pathologists in a country that is one of the biggest shrimp producers in the world.

Shrimp farming is a high-risk business, with shrimp being highly prone to a handful of illnesses, the most dangerous of which is white spot syndrome, a viral infection that can wipe out an entire broodstock (a term in aquaculture that refers to a group of mature individuals used for breeding purposes) in three days.

Although Indonesia is among the biggest shrimp exporters in the world, along with China, Thailand and Vietnam, the country still does very little scientific research to support local shrimp farmers. Plenty of studies have been carried out on fish and crabs, Sidrotun said, but not shrimp.

“The shrimp industry began in the ’80s when people stopped catching shrimp and began breeding them,” she said. “But shrimp are prone to illness because of the density of the broodstock.”

In 2009, Sidrotun won a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Arizona in Tucson, a reference laboratory for studying illnesses in shrimp, where she is now completing her master’s thesis on the effects of adding tilapia (a type of fish) to shrimp broodstock.

After 16 weeks of research in Arizona, Sidrotun found that tilapia can help the health of the stock. In a regular broodstock, shrimp typically live at the bottom of the pond.

Sidrotun’s experiment involved breeding tilapia above the broodstock by putting them in a large fish net. This improved the quality of the water, as the fish seemed to consume the bacteria before it could filter down to the bottom of the pond and attack the shrimp.

“[Adding tilapia] also adds economic value for our farmers, because they can breed fish, algae and shrimp all in one broodstock,” Sidrotun said.

But the exact reasons behind the results are inconclusive, and she hopes to investigate the results further.

Last week, Sidrotun won a fellowship worth $40,000 from For Women in Science, a collaboration between Unesco and the L’Oreal Foundation in Paris. Sidrotun said she planned to use the fellowship, which was awarded by a jury led by Nobel winners, to fund her postdoctoral studies at Harvard’s medical school, where she is a visiting scholar.

The seventh of 11 children, Sidrotun said her family usually ate rice and tempeh when she was growing up, and rarely indulged in seafood. Her father, Abidullah, was a high school teacher, and is now retired with his wife, Siti Muslichah.

Despite a humble upbringing, half of Sidrotun’s siblings went to school overseas through scholarships, including her third brother, who is now pursuing his studies in management at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Sidrotun has a 6-year-old son, and is married to Dedi Priadi, who studies psychology at the University of Arizona.

Upon completion of her dissertation and graduation, Sidrotun intends to study IMNV, one of the most threatening shrimp viruses found in Brazil and Indonesia. The virus first appeared in Indonesia in 2006, and has since caused harvest failures costing millions of dollars, she said.

“Last year, our farmers suffered a loss of $150 million to $200 million because of this virus,” she said.

Upon graduating from the University of Arizona, Sidrotun intends to study how IMNV and shrimp interact. A large number of shrimp survive the virus, and she hopes to discover what allows some shrimp to survive while others die. It is a scientific long-shot, but every major breakthrough begins with a single step.

“To be able to design a system to minimize the risk, we have to understand the virus first,” she said. “I hope in 5 to 10 years, our native shrimp can be more stable, so that traditional farmers can have a more solid bargaining position.”

The fishing industry has not been kind to shrimp farmers, Sidrotun said. The industry will often help farmers start their stocks, she said, but then make them shoulder all the costs for failed harvests.

“It should be the part of the company’s risk and not just farmers, because some crucial things, like disease, are out of their control,” she said.

It might seem like a scientist dedicated to producing healthy shrimp stock would harbor a certain disdain for disease, but Sidrotun speaks about viruses with respect.

“Viruses have been on earth much longer than bacteria and humans have, so we have to understand them,” she said. “Through evolution, humans have become smaller and smaller, but what we don’t know is if viruses have become stronger.”

What we do know, she said, is that unlike plants and animals, which are all built on unchanging DNA, viruses can mutate and adapt very quickly, which is why they are so difficult to study.

The cure for HIV, for example, continues to elude scientists despite years of research and billions of dollars in funding. But IMNV is more complicated because it is a double-strand, where HIV is a single-strand.

Sidrotun is passionate about improving the understanding of — and someday finding a cure for — IMNV. She is currently working with Max Nibert at Harvard, who discovered the 3D structure of the virus.

Sidrotun also hopes her research will be useful for scientists invested in study of the rotavirus, which kills about 500,000 children every year worldwide.

She said, “A virus may seem like a minor thing because to us it’s invisible, but it can destroy months of efforts by our local farmers in days, so yes, it’s important.”

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

18th-Century Bone Telescopes Discovered in Amsterdam

From Live Science: 18th-Century Bone Telescopes Discovered in Amsterdam
Five telescopes made of bone and dating to the 18th century have been discovered in Amsterdam, with two of the scopes found in the equivalent of toilets.

At the time, called the Enlightenment, the telescopes would have been considered luxury items and were likely used to gaze at objects on land or sea, rather than to look at the stars. They were created during a period when Amsterdam was a flourishing center for trade, one that attracted talented craftsmen.

Ranging in length from roughly 3 to 5 inches (80 to 140 millimeters), the telescopes were made using cattle metatarsal bone. "This particular bone of cow, the metatarsal bone, is actually quite straight and round," Marloes Rijkelijkhuizen, of the Amsterdam Archaeological Centre at the University of Amsterdam, told LiveScience."It's a nice shape to make these telescopes from, it's straight and (has a) very round narrow cavity."

Each telescope would have had a pair of lenses — like the system used by Galileo — a convex objective and a concave ocular, to magnify objects. (Two of the telescopes have at least one lens intact.) The longest of the telescopes, which had both lenses intact, is made of two parts put together with a screw thread, and was equipped with a bone insertion that has a small hole and likely functioned as an aperture stop.

This finely crafted telescope, with a lens still intact, was found in a cesspit, a place used as a toilet in the 18th century. How it got there is a mystery.
CREDIT: Wiard Krook, Office for Monuments & Archaeology, Amsterdam.
View full size image

With a magnification of about 3, the bone telescopes may have been used as opera glasses, held up by their wealthy owners to get a better view of the stage. Another idea is that someone going to sea, perhaps as a ship passenger, toted these with them.

The telescopes were excavated at different times over the past 40 years by the Office for Monuments and Archaeology in Amsterdam. Details of the findings hadn't been published until now, and, in the case of two of them, were unidentified until several years ago when Rijkelijkhuizen, then a master's degree student, started work on her thesis. She was looking at organic artifacts found in Amsterdam when she came across bone artifacts that would later turn out to be telescopes.

"At first I didn't recognize them either," Rijkelijkhuizensaid. Her analysis of the five telescopes is now published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Archaeology in the Low Countries.

When Rijkelijkhuizenlooked over the excavation reports she found that two of the telescopes had been discovered in cesspits – the 18th-century equivalent of a toilet. It's not clear where the other three telescopes would have been originally deposited in the 18th century.

"It's a toilet but it is also like a dump for trash," she said. Why luxury items like these would have been put in toilets is a mystery; perhaps they broke and their owners, despite the cost of producing them, threw them away. Another idea is that their owners lost them. [A Gallery of the World's Toilets]

Rijkelijkhuizen said it's not the first time she's uncovered unusual objects in pits like these. "We find all different kinds of objects in a cesspit, like false teeth, and we think 'why?'"

However it happened, it was fortunate for the archaeologists. "Because it was a toilet, and it's a very wet environment, all the objects in it are usually very well preserved," she said.

Ushering in the Enlightenment
The 18th century was a time of great change with new ideas, both scientific and political, being discussed. The telescope, with its ability to let people gaze at the stars, and see objects from a great distance, played a significant role in these changes. It had been invented only a century earlier. [The History of Telescopes]

"The telescope (and later the microscope), were thus two major devices that helped usher in the enlightenment," writes Geoff Andersen, an astronomer and author, in his book"The Telescope: Its History, Technology and Future" (Princeton University Press, 2007).

"Suddenly, anyone could experience things beyond the range of the unaided human senses, and start questioning conventional wisdom about the universe in which we live."

Although these newly discovered bone telescopes were not the most powerful telescopes of their day, for their owners it would have given them the ability to peer out farther into the horizon.